Forever, within our numbered days
by Ms.KClare
Summary: Shibuya Kazuya was diagnosed with leukaemia at a young age. As his short life slowly inches to its end, he finds his peaceful existence suddenly stirred up and shaken by a strange and bubbly girl, Mai. She takes it upon herself to make his last days his best…and for the first time, he actually feels alive.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi there! I'm really excited about my first Ghost Hunt fic… I hope that you'll like this! It goes without saying that this is an AU story, and a lot of Naru and Mai's life and familial history will change as per my whims xD**

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At the young age of four, Shibuya Kazuya had been diagnosed with leukaemia. Ever since, he had received platelets through injection as therapeutic clinical treatment. His life had been filled with colourful drug bottles, frequent trips to the hospital and staying at home. He had always been a lonely and quiet child that grew up with only his books as friends, and his home as a playground. Kazuya couldn't risk going to school, and was hence home-tutored by his mother.

The doctors had always told his parents that Kazuya had been lucky to survive with this simple treatment for so many years, but bluntly putting it, he wouldn't live longer than his eighteenth birthday. His body was slowly giving up, and the transfusions were getting less effective. The young man had just turned seventeen the previous month. The doctors had stopped chemotherapy a few months before that, and his dark hair had grown back in short spikes.

He was handsome but pale, with his father's well-defined jaw and his mother's gleaming blue eyes. His father worked at a research facility, while his mother had left her job to stay home and take care of her only son. Shibuya always insisted on going alone to the hospital to get his platelets, and today was the first time she had ever let him.

Shibuya Kazuya sat up on the hospital bed, his skin almost blending perfectly with the white pristineness of the sheets. He waited for his oncologist to come in with his blood report. The room was empty and silent, just the way he liked.

He always liked silence.

"Do you know where she is?" he heard a female voice exclaim outside.

Kazuya appreciated peace and calm.

"But I'm here to see her…I am being quiet!" the girl yelled even louder.

The young man always wanted to be alone.

The door of his room burst open, as a petite girl with short and wild brown hair entered, breathing heavily. She wore an old-looking sweater and a short blue skirt, with simple tennis shoes that looked a bit too small for her feet.

On seeing Kazuya, she stopped to catch her breath and flashed him an awkward smile.

"Oops, I'm sorry….you obviously aren't Touka Megumi…" she chuckled slightly.

The dark-haired boy only stared at her with an expressionless face, saying nothing.

"Perhaps I got the wrong room. Sorry, I'm here to see my teacher's daughter. She's sick, you see…and oh, how impolite of me! I'm Taniyama Mai."

Kazuya looked through her, ignoring her entire speech. "Nurse?" he called out.

An older woman entered his room almost immediately and bowed slightly. "Yes, son?"

"This young woman has lost her way. Please assist her." He said, without sparing so much of a glance at the so-mentioned "young woman".

Mai stood looking at him with her mouth wide open in disbelief. "I was speaking to you, you impudent man! You could at least say hello," she huffed.

"Well, I don't care about saying hello to you." Kazuya replied simply.

As the nurse directed Mai towards the door, the young girl stuck her tongue out at him. "And I don't care about you either, you narcissistic…..Naru!"

As the two left the room, Kazuya looked back at the book he had just picked up to read.

"Naru?" he wondered out loud.

He cringed as he heard the girl's squeaky voice penetrate through the wall behind him.

"Nurse, tea." 'Naru' said simply.

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 **A/N: How was this for a first chapter? Nothing much happens, but our lead pair has met….and already quarrelled, but hey- that's what Mai and Naru do best! Tell me if you like this, and if you'd like me continue :)**

 **Thanks to AmyNChan for pointing out an error.**

 **KClare.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for such an over-whelming kind response to the first chapter, guys :)**

 **I always try to update weekly, but my internet's always dying. To make up for that, I'll try and release the next chapter sooner. Sounds okay? Now , on to the story!**

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Mai Taniyama huffed, visibly annoyed. Never in her sixteen years had anyone been so rude to her. As the nurse led her to the right room, her anger dissipated almost immediately, forgetting all about her encounter with Naru (as she had named him).

Mai had been orphaned at a young age, and her homeroom teacher had let her stay with her ever since. The young girl had always been indebted to Megumi-sensei. She was actually here to see Megumi-sensei's daughter Touka, who had been admitted in the hospital the previous day. The 6-year-old girl had had a bout a food poisoning.

Mai pushed opened the door and entered with a flourish.

"Hello, Touka-chan!" she grinned widely.

Touka squealed excitedly on seeing her friend. "Onee-san! You came to see me!"

"Of course I did, kiddo." She said with a smile. She turned towards her teacher, who was standing by Touka's bed. "Megumi-sensei, how is Touka's heath now?"

"She's getting better already, Mai. But aren't you going to school today?" the teacher replied, raising one eyebrow and wiggling her finger at Mai.

"Ahaha…well, I skipped school today." Mai replied sheepishly.

After some reprimanding from her teacher/guardian, Mai agreed to go to school. She waved good bye to them, and left the hospital room. She looked at the door adjacent to Touka's. The brunette slightly opened the door to peek, and found Naru still sitting there, reading a book. He was so engrossed that he didn't notice her slip in. She sat on the sofa placed by the bed.

"Hello? Earth to Naru-chan?" Mai said with a smirk.

Shibuya looked up from his book with the same expressionless face. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, it's nice to meet you too!" she chirped.

He closed his book and placed it on the table by the bed. For the first time, Mai noticed his face fully. He was very, very handsome—she blushed at that.

"What do you want?" Shibuya said, slightly perturbed but amused.

This girl had no sense of self-respect. Usually people would steer clear from him once they heard his insulting tone, but this girl only pressed further.

"Are you always this kind, Naru-chan?" she puffed out her cheeks angrily.

Shibuya let himself smile, if only a little. It was true that he acted rude on purpose, so that people would leave him alone and not bother him with questions about his life or health.

"Well, you're definitely an exception. And my name is not Naru-chan."

Mai leaned forward expectantly, thinking that he was about to tell her his name. But when he didn't, she just stuck her tongue out at him.

"I actually came here to apologise for before, but I think I'm going to stick with my opinion of you being impudent and narcissistic."

Shibuya, or Naru (he winced), had never spoken more than a few sentences with anyone other than his family, but he had a sudden and unusual urge to tease this girl whom he had never met before.

"With your level of intelligence, I'm sure those two words must have been really hard to remember." He said, amused at how she jumped from her seat and placed her closed fists in front of her in a boxing stance.

"Wanna go at it, you jerk?!" she said, with determined eyes.

"But on second thoughts," she said sheepishly, on seeing Naru cross his arms and make a scary face. "You're sick, so maybe another time."

Truth was, she was a little intimidated. _Okay, maybe a little more than 'little'_ , she thought seeing Naru's cold eyes.

Naru smirked, a clear victory for him. Mai sat back down on the sofa and crossed her legs.

"So, what are you here for?" she asked him, playing with the hem of her skirt.

Naru winced internally. He hated to talk about his leukaemia, because people treated him with pity and sympathy—and he wanted none of that. He decided to try something different for a change.

"I'm here to warm beds for the patients that come in, because the heating system in this place sucks." He deadpanned.

Mai laughed uproariously at that, falling from the sofa. Naru watched, amused at this stupid girl's antics. He didn't mean for it to be funny, he was being sarcastic. Oh well.

Just then, his oncologist walked into the room. He was tall with hard features, but a kind and handsome face. Mai was still sprawled on the floor, and the doctor didn't notice her. Naru felt a tiny tinge of disappointment for the interruption.

"Good morning, Kazuya-kun. How are you today?" Lin asked.

"Good, Dr. Lin." Naru replied, his placid face back on.

Mai sat up, still on the floor, in a cross-legged position. Dr. Lin still didn't seem to notice her yet, so that was a good thing. _"Kazuya? Hm…."_ She thought.

"Well, I'll be drawing some blood as usual, and here are your platelets." The doctor spoke to Naru, who simply nodded.

Mat sat quietly throughout, thinking to herself. Platelets meant only one thing—leukaemia. She felt a sharp pang in her chest. She hardly knew this guy, but she felt a deep feeling of empathy towards him. After Dr. Lin left, she stood up suddenly, and walked to the bathroom that was directly attached to Naru's room.

As she closed the door behind her, Naru frowned. He didn't want more pity….he really, really didn't. He felt his face tighten as Mai returned.

He expected frowning. He expected sympathetic words or maybe a few tears of pity. But Shibuya Kazuya got none. Instead, Mai smiled. She gave him the brightest and happiest, most infectious smile he had ever seen.

Something inside Naru changed that day, but he couldn't tell what.

"Shibuya Kazuya" he found himself saying, almost unconsciously.

"Taniyama Mai." She replied, with a grin.

"Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia." He told her, baffling himself. Why was he telling a stranger this?

Mai smiled again, and simply asked him "How long?"

Naru was taken aback for a few seconds, though he didn't show it on his face. She was asking how long he had to live. Nobody ever asked him to his face, because they thought that he'd feel bad.

Death seemed imminent to him. He treated it with indifference, and wasn't actually scared.

If only this was true. In reality, Naru felt terrified that his death was approaching. He had never lived a normal life as a normal kid. The thing that scared him the most was that he didn't even have any memories that he'd leave behind—no friends, no adventures….

"Well, about a year or so." He said, a small lump forming in his throat.

Mai simply nodded and walked up and down on the balls of her feet as Naru got off the bed and went to the bathroom to change into his normal clothing. She sighed softly to herself as she looked at the clock. She'd completely forgotten about school. Oh well.

Naru got out of the bathroom, wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and black jeans. He had fixed his hair. Mai blushed brightly….had he fixed his hair because of her?

"What are you still doing here?" he deadpanned.

Okay, it definitely wasn't because of her.

She huffed, "Well, I'm leaving and so are you—so…."

"—you can't help but fall in love with my face," he interrupted, smirking smugly.

"You- you narcissistic jerk!" she yelled in his face, blushing even harder.

"So what _do_ you want?" he asked her with a cocked eyebrow.

"To make your life a little bright!" she quipped happily, as they walked through the hospital hallway. "And make your days count…?" she added, a bit hesitantly.

Naru only hummed in question to himself. Why was she doing this, again? "You want to make my day count?"

"Well…yeah," she looked sheepish.

"Then get me a cup of tea," Naru said, with a straight face.

He watched as she ran off towards the canteen. She tripped on her feet twice along the way, bumped into a person in a wheelchair and finally reached the tea stall. Naru looked on as she stood on her toes, and waved her arms over her head, and bought two cups of tea.

Naru didn't expect her to actually do it, but he could take advantage of her running off, and walk away himself.

But Shibuya Kazuya surprised himself. He waited….although, he waited for more than just Mai and his cup of tea.

He waited for a new lease of life.

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 **A/N: Thank you one again for your lovely reviews and for encouraging me to write more. You guys really made my day…I actually wrote this chapter right away! Please do continue reading, and don't forget to review. Your opinions make me really happy :)**

 **KClare.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey there people! Thank you so much for reading. 12 reviews for only 2 chapters is so awesome X)**

 **I hope you enjoy this fluffy little chapter, as our favourite couple interacts more….and has a couple of babies together. Am I moving too fast? Aw hell no! :D**

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Mai finally reached Naru with his cup of tea. She smiled at him, almost about to say "You're welcome"—but the teen heard nothing. Naru simply raised his eyebrow and took the cup from her, sipped it and made a face of disapproval.

Mai felt her eyebrows twitch in annoyance. _Don't,_ she scolded herself. _Don't say anything._

"This is definitely one of the worst teas I've ever had." The subject of her annoyance remarked.

Well. That did it.

The 16-year-old began yelling and cursing him for being such a jerk. He ignored her pointedly, sipping at the tea as they walked to the parking lot. When Mai finally stopped yelling, Naru eyed her with his usual placid countenance.

"Why do you want to do this?" he asked her suddenly.

She looked at him in surprise, smiling at him and forgetting all about why she was mad at him. She shrugged and said, "Dunno, it just seemed to me that you must have missed out on a lot in your life."

Naru just responded with silence, pondering over what this strange girl had said.

"Are you free now?" Mai asked him, albeit a little shyly.

The smug look on his face returned, and he smirked. "You are very red in the face right now. You're blushing at how handsome I am."

"Sh-shut up, you narcissistic…..narcissistic…..turtlebutt!" she cried out.

She heard a muffled noise from Naru that sounded vaguely like a chuckle. He hid it well behind his hand as he mimicked a cough. Mai giggled.

"I ran out of insults, okay!" she said sheepishly.

"I'm going home now," Naru said.

"B-but it's only noon!" she whined.

He folded his arms, and made a show of considering her offer. On the inside though, he really wanted to go somewhere and do something.

"Well, I suppose that will do. What do you have in mind?" he said, carefully not letting his emotions show.

"The amusement park!" Mai said, with stars in her eyes.

"I've never been to one," he replied flatly.

The brunette looked stumped. "Seriously?"

"Do I really have to repeat everything I say? I know you're pretty daft, but is your case that bad?"

"Shut up, Naru the Narcissist! Now let's head to the Sakura Amusement Park!" she pumped a fist in the air.

"How do you expect to do that?" Naru said, amusement in his eyes.

Mai hesitated for a moment. "Um….yeah! We can catch a bus!"

Naru's family was rich, and he had therefore never used public transport in his life. He was obviously not going to tell Mai this. He watched as she happily skipped in front of him, chattering about how he would love the park. He felt himself growing bewildered at his sudden change in behaviour—talking to a stranger, accepting a stranger's offer, actually being pleased to find a friend—something he hadn't even dreamed that he would do. Naru had declared himself as a sociopath, but he realised that with only one year to his life, he didn't really care about supressing his emotions or bothering about status quo. He'd never lived a normal life, forget living a life without rules or worries.

He walked silently behind Mai as they walked to the bus station outside the hospital. The station was filled with people of all kinds—students, old people, office goers and children. Speaking of students—

"Mai." He called out to her. She looked over her shoulder, smiling slightly that he used her name with no honorifics. She mentally shook her thoughts away; he probably didn't use honorifics because he had no respect for her in the first place.

Naru watched in fascination as Mai's expression turned from happy to a petulant frown in a few seconds. He wondered what she was thinking, then shrugged it off realising that he didn't care.

"Yes, Naru-chan?"

He winced. "Don't you have school to go to?"

"Well I do, but I go to school only when I feel like it." She grinned toothily.

Naru scoffed at her. "What was I expecting anyway? You definitely appear to be a delinquent anyway,"

Mai's eyes widened in anger. "What did you say, you narcissistic prick?!"

She tried to give him a karate chop, but Naru grabbed her wrist and twisted her hand behind her back. He let go immediately, realising that they were in a public space and people were turning to look at them. Mai rubbed her wrist, as she stalked to the ticket counter.

"Two tickets to Sakura Amusement Park, please." She asked.

Naru paid for both tickets despite her protests, saying that he owed her for the tea. As they waited for the bus to come, Mai felt her cheeks grow hot. It was like they were on a date. She looked up at Naru's handsome face, and decided otherwise. He must already be in a relationship.

"Do you have a girlfriend, Naru?"

Naru found himself getting less and less annoyed by her nickname for him. "No."

Her mouth was shaped in an O with surprise. Then the truth dawned upon her like a couple of bricks falling on her head. "You're gay?!"

The dark-haired boy almost choked, but quickly recovered and replied. "In that case, I would've found you attractive, Mai-kun."

He expected her to feel offended and try to hit him, but she guffawed loudly. She turned pink and had tears in her eyes—chocolate brown eyes that sparkled with mirth. Naru found himself staring at her, and quickly looked away, a small smile on his lips.

There was something nice about making this girl annoyed or happy, he thought as they boarded the bus that had just arrived. She was the kind of effusive person that Shibuya Kazuya had never been.

If only he knew of the pain and suffering Mai had gone through all her life.

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The couple boarded the bus along with several other people. Mai expertly wove her way through the crowd, looking for seats. She spotted an empty bench at the very back. Naru was making his way very delicately through the crowd, avoiding touching them. She scoffed at his haughty behaviour and reached for his wrist, pulling him roughly through several people. Naru was too shocked to realise what was happening as she plonked him down on the seat next to him.

He began to give her his infamous cold glare, but Mai ignored him and said: "Stop acting like such a princess, Naru-chan."

From the way he behaved, the high-schooler inferred that he was probably a rich boy who'd never rode a bus in his life. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, blushing at how his handsome features were contorted into a small frown. Mai grinned, and looked out of the window, trying to ignore how their thighs were touching and how Naru had unconsciously put his hand around her seat.

What she didn't know, though, was that Naru was actually sending angry glares at a young man who had been staring at Mai. They got off at the park's stop, and Mai lead the way. At the entrance to the park was a huge banner which Mai read out aloud.

"Free entry for couples every Tuesday!" she cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

"Well done, Mai. Now you can read full sentences too." Naru drawled, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up, Narcissistic. Today's Tuesday!" she said cheerily, nudging him.

"You're getting smarter by the moment."

"Idiot, we'll get free entry."

Naru froze. "We aren't a couple."

It was Mai's turn to roll her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock. But they—" she said, pointing at the women at the entrance. "Don't know that."

"I could just pay, if you're that stingy."

"That's the whole point, old man!" she said, giggling. "It's more fun this way. Now just come!"

She dragged him behind her to the entrance. There were two young women selling tickets at the entry gate, who perked up immediately on seeing Naru.

"Hello there, cutie." One of them said, winking.

Naru ignored her. Mai giggled and said, "We're together. Free entry, right?"

The other woman frowned at the young girl. "You two are a couple?"

Mai nodded, and Naru looked away. The first lady said, "It's not gonna be so easy, young lady. Couples do have free entry, but they have to take part in a contest together."

"Contest?" Both Mai and Naru asked at the same time, the latter not liking the sound of it.

"Well, yeah. It's part of every Tuesday's couple festival. The winners are declared the festival King and Queen, and win loads of fun stuff and goodies."

Naru grimaced. "No, Mai. Let's just get the—"

He stopped, seeing Mai make huge puppy dog eyes. "B-but….fun stuff and goodies~ "

The dark-haired man simply pushed past the two ladies at the entrance. Mai pumped a fist in the air, and did a celebratory tap dance.

"So…what do you want to do first, Naru-chan?" she quipped happily.

"Tea, Mai." The young man said simply.

The brunette sighed. It was going to be a tiring day.

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 **A/N: Eeeee x) Sorry for cutting the chapter right here, but I want you guys to look forward to next time! Naru and Mai will take part in a contest together :3**

 **A lot of you seem worried in your reviews, but I'm going to try and make this story a happy little love story as much as possible. Also, there's a secret plot twist hidden in today's chapter, can you guess what it is? ….All will be revealed soon! Mwahaha :D**

 **Keep reading, and spread the love.**

 **KClare.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey there lovelies! :) Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter. Disclaimer—I have never been to an amusement park much like Naru himself, so this location is loosely based off** _ **Kaichou wa Maid-sama**_ **, including the first round of the couple's contest. Go ahead, sue me O_o**

 **Please don't, I'm sowie T-T**

"What is it with you and tea, Naru?" Mai whined, as the two of them sat at a table in a café inside the park.

Naru chose to ignore her, sipping daintily at the hot beverage. The brunette stuck her tongue out at him and inspected the floral crown on her head, which she had to wear as per the free entry rules. The contest wouldn't start in another hour, so they had time for the rides.

Naru studied the brochure they had been given, not sure what they should start doing first.

"Mai." He said, and the perky girl looked up. "What do I do first?"

"You mean 'we', you narcissistic man." She huffed. "Well, the Ferris Wheel is a classic. We could try that!"

"Alright."

"But we have to grab some lunch after that, and then enter the contest."

"Okay."

"So why don't you tell me more about yourself?" Mai asked with a smile.

"Because I don't want to," Naru stated.

Mai rolled her eyes and said nothing. Naru mumbled something inaudible. "What was that?" she asked.

"I said, what about you?" Naru asked nonchalantly, trying to hide his curiosity about this strange girl.

"Oh, me?" she chirped, bemused that Naru wanted to know. "I'm 16, so I'm in high school. My parents died over six years ago and since then I've been living with my teacher who was a close family friend. I live alone now."

Naru blinked in surprise. She was an orphan? "What do you do for the financial part of it?"

"The…um…government pays for me." She replied, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Naru immediately detected the sudden change in her mood. She was definitely hiding something, but he didn't want to probe any further.

"Your turn, Naru-chan!" she quipped.

"My father works at a pharmacological research facility and my mom's at home. I'm home-schooled, and I'm an adopted child. I had a twin brother, who died 12 years ago of acute blastocyst leukaemia." Naru said, with a cool detached voice.

Mai covered her mouth with both hands in shock. Was that the reason he wore black? "I…I'm sorry, Shibuya-kun."

Naru somehow didn't like the sound of her calling him that name. "My actual name is Oliver Davis, Mai. Shibuya Kazuya is the name my Japanese parents gave me when they adopted me 7 years ago. My brother," his voice hitched slightly. "was called Eugene."

Mai gulped nervously. "So you aren't really Japanese? Where were you before you were adopted?"

"Gene and I were in a special home for children with leukaemia, in England. My parents adopted me and we moved to Japan for intensive treatment that extended my lifespan….until now, of course."

The brunette had tears in her eyes when he finished talking. "I'm so sorry to hear that." She said shakily.

"Don't be, it's okay. Anyway, you can call me Naru—I don't really mind. Gene used to call me Noll," he said, with a slight nostalgic smile.

Mai blushed brightly. Naru drained the last of his tea and asked the waitress for two sandwiches. The pair ate in silence, and after Naru paid (again, Mai thought guiltily), they headed towards the Ferris Wheel.

By the time they reached the ride, Mai was bouncing up and down with excitement. She dragged Naru so they could reach in time. After waiting in line for 10 minutes, they got into one of the closed cars on the Wheel—the roof and sides of which were made entirely of fibre glass for a better view. Mai sat on the bench opposite to Naru's.

He would never admit it, but fear gripped Naru as the Ferris Wheel began to move. His companion noticed him tightly clenching his fist till his knuckles turned white. She said nothing, but extended her right hand and placed it over his left. She patted it comfortingly and Naru shut his eyes, not moving his hand away. He hated unnecessary contact, but Mai's hand somehow felt warm and comforting. Their cabin slowly rose into the air, and the bright blue sky around them came in full view. The lake by the Sakura Amusement Park sparkled brilliantly under the beams of white light. Mai looked in awe at the city below them, and noticed that Naru's eyes were still closed.

She tapped his hand. "It's beautiful, Naru-chan. Look!"

Dark blue eyes cracked upon and looked at her apprehensively. Mai smiled at him and nodded towards the view outside. Naru did look at a beautiful sight. The sun above them shone right down on her brown hair, making it fiery red in colour. The flower tiara on her head looked perfectly congruous on her sunny self. Her eyes danced around with a burning light of their own, and her small lips twitched as she grinned. She wasn't really pretty in the conventional sense of the word—but she was beautiful.

Beautiful indeed…. almost ethereal.

Naru quickly snapped back to reality when he realised that he was openly staring at her, jaw slack. He whipped his eyes away to look at something she was pointing at and twittering excitedly about. The Ferris Wheel descended, and rose once again. As their cabin reached the highest point once again, Naru cleared his throat.

"Mai." She looked at him, fixing her brown eyes on his dark blue ones.

"Hm?"

"Thank you for doing this."

She chuckled and shook her head. "It's no big deal at all."

She added, albeit a bit hesitantly. "Friends?"

Naru's eyes widened slightly. She wants to be my friend? His only friend had been Gene. He nodded and gave her a small lopsided smile. Mai grinned toothily.

The ride ended soon after, and they strolled around looking at stalls till the announcement for the contest was made. Naru reached for the flower tiara on her head, trying to take it away and hide it so they wouldn't have to take part in the contest. Mai swatted his hand away and wiggled her finger at him.

"Nuh-uh! Don't be dishonest, Naru."

He rolled his eyes at her hypocrisy. They had lied about being a couple in the first place, but he chose not to say anything further as she petulantly pouted at him.

"Couples please gather at the main square of the Park!" they heard the announcer say through the speakers.

Mai happily skipped to the said location with Naru trudging along behind her. He was not happy. There were about thirty couples gathered at the main square, mostly their age and a few older people. There were long tables at which they were asked to sit. The host of the contest stood on a stage in the middle of the square with a microphone.

"Welcome to Couple's Tuesday!" he said.

People cheered, and Naru scowled.

"The rules are simple," the host continued. "Throughout this contest round, the couple should hold hands. If you let go, you are immediately disqualified! Complete the task within the time span, and you win!"

More cheering. Mai and Naru both froze. Holding hands? They weren't even a couple! Naru decided that this was the best way to fluster the brunette. He took her left hand in his right and gave her a huge fake smile. She stuttered, and blushed different shades of red and purple.

"Now for the first task! Each couple will be given a bowl filled with ramen. The couples that finish the entire bowl within 5 minutes go to the next round. Remember, all this has to be done while holding hands and only one person can do the eating, with the other person feeding!"

Mai turned green and Naru scowled once more. A huge bowl was placed on the table in front of Mai and Naru. Mai turned to her partner.

"Alright! We can do this, soldier!" she pumped her free hand in the air.

"Soldier?" Naru raised an eyebrow.

The host counted to three and said, "Begin!"

Mai grabbed the chopsticks, since she had her right hand free. She picked up a bunch of ramen and blew at the hot dish. She shoved it into Naru's mouth when he opened it to protest. The raven-haired man munched on it darkly.

"Faster, Oliver!" she yelled, looking at the other couples around them.

Naru smirked. If there was one thing that Naru was, it was that he was competitive. He hated losing, and something inside him didn't want the determined look on Mai's face to turn into a frown. She fed him at full speed and he scarfed the ramen down, feeling nauseated. He hated Japanese food.

"Aaaaaaaand, 10 seconds to go!" the host yelled, while spectators watching cheered.

Mai scraped the last of the ramen, and put the chopsticks in Naru's mouth.

"Nine….eight!" The crowd counted.

What she didn't realise was that she was half-sitting on his lap, their faces only inches away.

"Seven….six…five…"

Her eyes flicked down to his lips that were covered in the ramen sauce.

"Four….three…two…"

Naru stuck his tongue out and licked it off in one swift motion, eyes fixed on Mai.

"And stop!"

The announcer declared the end of the game, and the spell broke. Mai sprang away from Naru, only to be jerked back. He was still holding her hand, as per the rules. He gave her a smug look, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

Only 12 couples had managed to finish in time. They were led into a hall for the next challenge.

"This round will be fairly simple….for those of you who know your partners well!" A new hostess announced. "You will have to answer a few questions about yourself on a paper, which your partner cannot see. These will be asked to your partner, and see how many they can answer right."

Mai sighed ruefully. "There's no way we'll win this." She pouted.

Naru looked down at her and squeezed her hand, saying nothing. Mai looked at him and smiled. It didn't matter that they didn't know each other so well, because she had had the best time with him. It felt like they had known each other forever.

Mai was given a paper that had five questions written on it. She let go of Naru's hand and filled it up while he was led away to a different table with the other halves of the couples. One by one, the participants were asked to answer the questions—and surprisingly, a lot of them had gotten more than one wrong. To qualify, at least three had to be correct. Naru was called up on the stage by the hostess. He was clearly unhappy about all the unwanted attention he was receiving. The game began.

"First question to you about Taniyama Mai-san: What is her favourite colour?"

Naru frowned. Didn't all girls like pink? "Pink."

"Aw, that's incorrect. It's blue!" People clapped, and Mai sighed unhappily. Naru frowned; blue was his favourite.

"Second question: What is her favourite beverage?"

"Tea." Naru replied curtly. It was _his_ favourite, at least.

"That's correct!" the hostess squealed, and people cheered. "When and where did you first meet?"

Naru smirked. This was usually something the male partner always forgot, but it was an advantage for him. "Today, at a hospital."

People in the audience gasped, and many girls squealed at how romantic it sounded.

The hostess looked bewildered herself. "Also correct!" More cheering. "You need just one more to pass through!"

"What is she allergic to?" the hostess asked.

"Narcissism." He replied, and the audience laughed.

"Incorrect, she says that she's not allergic to anything. Last question!"

"What does she love about you?"

Naru turned pale, and he looked at her in the audience. She gave him a big smile and waved with both hands.

He chuckled softly. "Oh, I love her smile."

Several people in the audience went "Awwww!" and Mai turned pink all over. The hostess laughed and said, "So your answer is smile?"

The hostess waggled her eyebrows at him and winked. Naru realised that she was telling him the answer. Damn, his good lucks got him everywhere. He smugly nodded and said, "My smile."

"Correct!" the hostess cheered, and the audience clapped.

Mai's jaw almost dropped to the floor. They had actually passed the round! Naru got off the stage and Mai did a victory dance as she grabbed his hand. He blushed faintly, but she didn't see it. There were only 6 couples left now, and they proceeded to the final round.

They couldn't believe what was next. Mai listened with fearful eyes and a red face.

Naru paled considerably. "I could really use some tea."

 **A/N: Weeee~ Me likes cliffies~ x)**

 **But seriously, I wanted you guys to give me a ridiculously romantic idea as to what should be the final contest. Make it fluffy, sappy, hot or embarrassing!**

 **Did you like this chapter? I had fun writing it. Thanks to the lovely readers and reviewers of my story—I really do love you!**

 **Leave a review and a hug for me x3**

 **KClare.**


	5. Chapter 5

Naru could feel the blood draining from his face. Mai gulped, turning a bright shade of pink.

All the finalists were ushered into a hall that had an entire foliage of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. And mistletoe only meant one thing.

The contest host laughed gaily. "This is exactly what it looks like. I'm sure everyone was expecting another tough round that required team work, but this is what couples are all about- love, and how do we express this love?"

The crowd that had gathered to watch the final round of the contest began chanting. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

"That's right!" the host continued. "And the couple that can kiss for the longest time wins this round and will be crowned The King and The Queen of tonight's couple festival, and win tickets to Umami- the most famous five-star-fine-dining restaurant in Tokyo! Cash prizes, watches and gift vouchers just top the cake!"

Everyone cheered, except Naru and Mai. She looked up at him and gave him a bright smile.

"This should be the point where we leave." She said, chuckling.

Naru could see the disappointment in her eyes. He nodded. "Definitely."

Mai turned on her heels, ready to walk out, but Naru grabbed her hand.

"This definitely should be the point where we both leave, but I've done a lot of crazy things today—the craziest was meeting you—and I hope I don't come across as a pervert, but we could stay, and do another crazy thing together."

Mai gasped. From the little time that she knew Naru, she knew this was something that would make him incredibly uncomfortable to say, and it was almost surely out of character for him. Especially how his ears had turned red and he refused to look straight into her eyes, or how his palms had turned sweaty. Mai felt awkward and confused and was stumped for words for the very first time in her life.

"I've never kissed anyone" she half-whispered, among the cheering and noise around them.

"Neither have I" Naru replied, face blank and completely undecipherable to Mai.

He bent down slightly to bring his face to her level and placed a small kiss on her lips. "Now we both have."

Mai grinned at him, feeling a surge of overwhelming happiness searing through her skin. Naru let go of her hand and they followed the rest of the couples to the middle of the hall. There was something strange in the air around Mai and Naru. Every molecule of air around them seemed to be filled with an aphrodisiac. It was overwhelming how in such a short span of time they had suddenly unravelled an ocean of new feelings, feelings they'd never felt before.

And neither of them heard the host yell begin, or the crowds around them going "aww" or cooing. In that moment Oliver Davis simply held Taniyama Mai and dipped his face down to kiss her on the lips first softly, and then a little deeper. She let her hands drop to her sides as she kissed him back, not sure what to do. He held her face between his hands and leaned into the kiss, taking her upper lip between his lips.

Mai gasped in his mouth, trying to take a breath, but Naru didn't let her. She opened her eyes (when had she closed them?) and saw him slightly indicating to her to breathe through her nose, his piercing blue eyes staring deep into her soul.

Her soul.

He was looking right into her mind.

He would see then.

He would know.

Mai froze. Naru tried to urge her to not stop, but she stepped back and away from him, panting. Three other couples were still kissing. She could feel hot tears springing to her eyes, threatening to fall. Naru stood wide-eyed and panting, his pale face flushed, looking at her questioningly. Mai turned on her heels and sprinted out of the hall, through the crowds.

Naru ran after her, right out of the building. He could spot the flower crown in her brown hair among the other people and followed that. He finally caught up to her when she stopped running.

"Mai!" he called out.

She whirled back, startled, and lost her footing. Naru reached out and caught her in time by her elbows, and helped her stand. They looked at each other in the eyes for a long time, searching for answers or something to say. Both of them had revealed a certain weakness to each other the same day they met. It was uncharacteristic of both of them to let their weaknesses show, and yet they did. Her eyes were red, and she looked apologetic, but she said nothing at all. Naru didn't say anything either, and let go of her hands. He sighed and led her to the closest beverage stall they could find.

As the dark-haired boy ordered, Mai winced and then laughed.

Of course they'd have tea.


End file.
